CHEERZ NEXT Project: New Samurai Training Through Sword Dancing with SAMURAI TRAINING TOKYO

CHEERZ, the app for cheering on your favorite idols, isn’t just limited to Japanese, but is also available in English, Chinese (Traditional), and French, and is used by idol fans around the world. At TGU, as part of our campaign, we have the top three monthly ranked girls of CHEERZ NEXT with us today, to experience what Japanese culture has to offer “NEXT”!
アイドル応援アプリ、CHEERZ。日本語だけでなく英語、中国語（繁体字）、フランス語にも対応しており、世界中のアイドルファンに使われているアプリです。TGUではキャンペーンで上位に入ったCHEERZ NEXTに参加している3名と、日本の”NEXT”を体験する、という企画を行っています！

Our three guests today are Haruka Kurino from Non Sugar, Miku Hoshina from +tic color, and Remi Ogata from Hachimitsu★Emperor. They’ll be visiting a training lesson for modern sword dance movement, a type of Japanese traditional art, put on by “SAMURAI TRAINING TOKYO produced by夢乃屋 -YUMENOYA-” Most lessons are held at the main studio, just a one-minute walk from Asakusa Station, but the studio we visited is located in Myogadani.
今回のゲストは、ノンシュガー栗野春香さん、＋tic color星奈未玖さん、蜂蜜★皇帝の緒方れみさんの３名。訪れたのは、日本の伝統芸能である剣舞の動きを現代風にトレーニング化したレッスンを開催している“SAMURAI TRAINING TOKYO produced by 夢乃屋 –YUMENOYA- ”。浅草駅から徒歩1分のスタジオをメインにレッスンを行っているということですが、今回は3人は茗荷谷にあるスタジオを訪れました。

This is Ukon Takafuji, our sword dance instructor. He’s a second-generation creative sword dance master, and is head of the Ittoryu Tachibana-style of dance. Producing original stage shows that combine his experience at sword and traditional dance, multiple times he’s experienced performing both overseas, and is virtually Japan’s last samurai! (?!) Plus, I know what you’re all thinking- he’s a total hottie!
こちらが剣舞を教えてくれる講師の孝藤右近（たかふじうこん）先生。創作日本舞踊孝藤二代目であり、創作剣舞橘一刀流の家元でもあるとのこと。剣舞、舞踊の経験を生かしてオリジナルの舞台をプロデュースしたり、海外のイベントなどで剣舞や日本舞踊を披露したりという経験も多く持つ、名実共に日本を代表するラスト・サムライです！（!?）そしてみなさんもう思っていますよね、先生は大変イケメンです！

Naturally, none of the girls have ever touched a Japanese sword (*lessons use fake, practice swords) before… Or at least that’s what you probably assumed, but actually Remi used to do traditional dance as a child, and has apparently handled one before. She doesn’t really recall much about it, though, so basically all three girls are beginners. Can the three of them become splendid samurai…?! Will they be able to do the training…?!
3人は日本刀（※レッスン用の模造です）を触ったことないに違いない……と思いきや、実は緒方さんは小さいころに日本舞踊をやっていたそうで刀を触った事があるそうです。でも記憶にはあまりないとのことで、ほぼみんな初心者。今日はそんな3人が立派なSAMURAIになれるのでしょうか……!?　そしてちゃんとトレーニングできるのでしょうか……!?

To start off, they practice the etiquette of rei (showing respect) first. Since samurai never knew when they might be attacked, they would always have their sword ready, and never put it down. This is the most fundamental basic rule.
まずは、礼の作法の練習から。いつ敵が攻めてくるかわからないので、侍たるもの手を床に付けずに立てるようにならなければいけないそう。基本中の基本です。

Up next were the basics on how to draw a sword. Drawing your sword is the movement of taking out and putting your sword away without looking at it. Managing this, the girls would be okay on the chance any of them happened to ever travel back in time to the era of the samurai!! They continued repeating the exercise until it was perfect! When Haruka got caught looking at her sword, our instructor called her out on it! (laugh)
その次はまた基本中の基本、抜刀を学びます。抜刀とは、刀を抜いて、刀を見ずに刀をしまう動作。これができれば侍がいた時代にタイムスリップしてもなんとか生きていける!! とのことで、3人カンペキにできるまで練習。栗野さんは刀をつい見てしまって先生に注意されました（笑）。

After finally learning the basics, it was time to move onto some exercise-like maneuvers to really get their bodies moving. They learned how to wield a sword from various stances, and once they’d gotten the hang of it, they put these moves to music to create a good rhythm and increase speed! Little by little, they began to shout some fierce battle cries! (laugh)
やっと基本ができるようになり、体を動かすエクササイズ的な要素のある動きをやることに。色んな構えからの刀の振り方を学び、慣れて来たら音楽に合わせてリズムよく、スピードもアップ！　3人からだんだんと悲鳴が聞こえて来ました（笑）！

The next step was about how to engage your enemy. Exchanging swords is called yama (“mountain”), and they set out to practice it until they had it down. It may look easy, but it requires quite a bit of movement at the waist, and gradually you could see the exasperation showing on their faces. (laugh) After this, with their sword hilts touching, they faced one another in a tsuba-zeriai, or hilt match. You’ve probably seen this move in movies or dramas! The girls were really into it. The last part of the lesson was about using force. Becoming the “slasher” or the “slashed”, they quietly engaged in a violent swordfight!
そして次は敵を相手にする立ち回り。刀を交わすことを「山」と呼ぶそうですが、まずは山をひたすら繰り返す練習を。シンプルな動きに見えるけれどもかなり腰にくるようで、だんだんツラそうな表情に（笑）。その後、刀のつばとつばを合わせて競り合う「つば競り合い」にも挑戦。映画やドラマで見た事がある動き！　みんな盛り上がっています。最後には演技力のレッスンも。斬る役と斬られる役に別れて、静かに激しく刀を交わしました！

Usually I tend to hunch my back a little, so I feel like this really helped my posture. Even though it wasn’t a hard workout, I could really feel it in my waist, and I was really sweating! I’ve handled a long sword before, but it was my first time to learn these kinds of moves, and I really encourage anyone from abroad to give it a try!
緒方さん
普段猫背気味なのに、なんだか姿勢がよくなった感じがします。激しく動き回る感じじゃないのに、ウエスト周りにすごく効いてる感じがしてすごく汗もかきました。長刀は触ったことがあるけれど、こういった動きを学ぶのは初めてで、海外の人にもぜひ体験してみて欲しいです！

I thought it’d be tough, but actually I was surprised at how enjoyable it was. I’d like to work on my posture more and use what I’ve learned during stage performances. Learning how to move precisely was really useful.
星奈さん
もっとお堅い感じかと思っていたら普通に楽しくてびっくりしました。姿勢もしゃんとして、ステージパフォーマンスにも生かせそう。動きがブレないようにっていうのを学べたのでためになりました。

I’d like to use this in our group during a performance of our song “Kendo Shojo”! Even though it’s a song about kendo, none of us are very savvy when it comes to using a sword (laugh), so I’d like to tell the other members about what I’ve learned here.
栗野さん
ノンシュガーの『剣道少女』という曲のパフォーマンスに生かしたい！　剣道の歌なのに、メンバー誰一人として剣術の経験がなかったから（笑）、ここで学んだ事をメンバーに教えてあげたいと思います。

Our teacher looked somewhat worried while watching the girls’ movements in the beginning (laugh), but by the end he shared with us, “I was extremely surprised by how quickly they learned the movements; they really are idols!” All three of them seem eager to use what they’ve learned in their idol work. More than anything, that “feeling” is the most important part. Apparently when it comes to those without any sword handling experience, those who like samurai movies and anime are usually the quickest to pick it up. So image training is important, too!
先生は3人の動きを見て最初は心配したそうですが（笑）、「さすがアイドル、動きを覚える感覚が早くてちょっとびっくりしました」と感心していました！　3人とも言っていたように、意外と今回学んだ剣術をアイドル活動に生かせそうです。そしてやはり「気持ち」が大事、とのこと。全く剣を触ったことがない人でも、侍の映画やアニメが好きで見ている人は覚えるのが早いそう。イメトレ、大事！

For those of you in Japan reading this, or those of you overseas, what do you think about trying your hand at this simple introduction into this traditional Japanese art form through one of these lessons at SAMURAI TOKYO TRAINING?
この記事を読んでいる日本の皆さんも、海外の皆さんも、SAMURAI TRAINING TOKYOのレッスンを通じて、堅苦しくなく、気軽に日本伝統芸能に触れてみてはいかがでしょうか！

SAMURAI TRAINING TOKYO Produced by 夢乃屋 –YUMENOYA-
Address: Venice 2F, 1-36-8 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
住所：東京都台東区浅草1-36-8 ヴェニス2F（JAPAN CULTURE EXPERIENCE TOURS 夢乃屋 –YUMENOYA-）
http://www.tokyo-samurai.com/